Skirts
by blueashke
Summary: Set during season 1, Delphine thinks about dressing the part. Not sure how far I'll go with it, we'll start with a T for now.
1. Chapter 1

The prettier you are as a child, the more they dress you up. Once you become a teenager, you notice that if you're wearing a skirt, especially a short one, people will pay more attention to you, like you more. Through high school, university, getting your doctorate, and moving on from job to job, you hone this skill. You are more than capable of doing anything you put your mind to, but this has been hard wired into you. Sex sells.

So when you are tasked with getting your new subject's attention, you instinctively dress to impress, yet still fit within normal university garb. A short skirt, bare legs, and knee high boots. It doesn't much matter since 324B21 is female, but still, you need to be noticeable to the males around her, to hopefully garner attention if the phone call and paper left behind aren't enough. Whether the skirt or not has something to do with it, you succeed. An exchange of names, a clasping of hands, and her adorable attempt to speak French back to you.

The next time you see her, you've reverted back to your comfort - tight pants with your boots. A quick hello as you cross paths in the library - she's on her phone, so you just hang back - then settling down twenty feet away. You're debating how to strike up a conversation to get her to come to the Neolution lecture, when she is suddenly leaned against your table, telling you she's bored, while grinning down at you. With a smile back, you suggest the lecture, and tease her until she agrees to come. You slip away to report your success, and tell yourself that this monitoring thing is pretty easy.

She arrives on time, and sits next to you, right where Dr. Leekie will notice her and get her attention while he lectures. You are shocked at her response to him, but laugh along with the audience when he smiles at it. Her mind fascinates you already, from everything you've read of her, but even more just watching her be in what has become your world, though she of course, has no clue about that. After the presentation is finished and the lights have come on, you find yourself debating excitedly with her, drinking your wine as the other takes her turn expressing herself. Watching her almost spill her glass time and time again as she speaks makes you almost forget why you are standing around. The sound of your boss greeting someone loudly behind you brings you back to the task at hand. You maneuver her into speaking with him, then relax. You have succeeded in the task he gave you for today. He will be pleased with you when you see him tonight.

After he leaves you, you wonder if she will say goodbye - which will let you go write your report before your evening plans, but also hoping that maybe, she will want to spend more time with you. Already this girl is showing you that 'unpredictable' is the best way to describe her. She snags two bottles of wine and drags you out the door. You find yourself gripping her hand tightly, running through the campus, and laughing the entire way. When you stop and instinctively pull out your cigarettes, she is laughing and promising to get you high one day. Mind altering substances have never been your thing. The need for a clear head to reach a goal has always kept you focused on the future, but she feels safe. And if smoking marijuana with this cat-eyed subject - girl? - possibly, friend? could help you reach those goals, you will let her hold that safety above you.

You really do need to get your report done before tonight, so you say goodbye, leaning down to kiss her cheeks, something you realize you haven't done often since arriving in this country, but something you'd done without thinking back home all your life.

Once you finish writing, you save it to the flash drive and sigh. It is time to transform yourself again. Away go the pants, out comes the short dress. Goodbye comfortable boots, hello spike heels. An hour to do your hair just so, and a heavy hand with the makeup completes the change. Reminding yourself that this will help your career, and that really, he's not so bad, you drop the flash drive into your clutch, and head for the hotel. Holding your head high as you walk through the lobby does not decrease the sense of shame that you feel as you walk down the hallway. The gold card slips into the door, and you enter, resigning yourself to what will come.

You wish you could have stayed with her. The night is uncomfortable and embarrassing. You'd have rather let her get you baked.

 **Hi guys, I'm back into fic, but it's time for a new fandom and a new ship for me! I know I have at least one more chapter for this, hope you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

It was on an impulse that you invited her to dinner, figuring spending more time with your subject couldn't hurt. When she agreed easily, she followed it up with asking where. Your mind raced; you hadn't thought this far ahead. Without thinking, you blurted out the name of a restaurant that Dr. Leekie had taken you to when you arrived in town. It didn't hurt to let 324B21... no, Cosima, enjoy a meal that a struggling PhD student couldn't afford often at the same time.

She'd scrunched her nose up in thought as you walked out of the classroom together. "Meritage? That's uh, kinda out of my budget range."

"Non, you misunderstand. I wanted to ask you to dinner, to thank you for going to the lecture with me. My treat," you implore, smiling as her face lights up. Her sharp canines flash as she mirrors your grin.

"Then hell yeah, I'd love to." She writes her address down for you, of course she would have no way of knowing that you have it memorized already, and you agree to meet at six. She's mumbling to herself, hands waving wildly as she walks off, and you find yourself just standing there, watching as she disappears out of sight.

You head back to your apartment, mentally running through your wardrobe along the way. Immediately, you discard any and all dresses or skirts. Tonight you want to be comfortable. You want to just sit and chat with Cosima, see if you really can make a friend in this brave new world, or if it is simply the best way to watch your subject. You find yourself ready dressed, favorite clunky purse packed as usual, and sit down to do your face and hair. You stop. There is no need to impress Cosima. She's seen your face with your preferred light makeup, and your hair curling everywhere. You run your fingers through your locks, impulsively flipping the part back and forth repeatedly, a nervous habit that you rarely allow yourself to indulge in these days, yet find yourself doing around her quite often.

A glance at the clock shows that you are ready a full half hour before you need to even think of leaving. You sit and start up a report for tonight's encounter, knowing that if it is already started, you will be more likely to finish it before going to bed once you return home. Saving it with just the pertinent details of where and when, you sync it to your work computer before shutting it down. Pulling your bag over your shoulder, you head out to the house on J Street. A beautiful old building that had been converted into single room apartments, you had considered getting a space quite nearby, but had decided to stay farther away, choosing to keep the coincidences down in the hopes of keeping your subject naive as to her monitored status, even though Dr. Leekie suspected that 324B21 was working towards understanding the truth.

But tonight was mostly for Delphine and Cosima, not Dr. Cormier and clone 324B21. Just two students having a rare nice meal and enjoying each other's company. Tripping lightly up the stairs to the third floor, you knock. Five seconds passed. Ten, then fifteen. You are about to check your phone for a text changing the location of your meeting when you hear the door open. Your smiles mirror one another as you say hello.

Then you notice that she is wearing only a black slip, not an actual dress. You obviously had left too early after all, but she assures you that no, she is just 'kinda always late, so kinda always sorry.' Usually, being late would immediately irritate you, but you are too busy glancing around the room that has only been occupied a few months, but looks well lived in. The desk is covered in papers, pens, notes, and a few textbooks. Matching bookshelves each seem to hold parts of an actual encyclopedia, but you spot a split geode, an animal jawbone, an antique microscope, and a few other interesting tidbits as you wait. Books that have obviously been loved are stacked nearly knee high across the room next to a standing mirror. Purple curtains frame the open bedroom area, though you stand with your back to it while she finishes dressing.

"I know, it's a mess," she says as she comes up behind you. A maroon dress with a beaded collar has covered the slip, and she is smiling up at you again as she pulls on her red coat. "When we get back from dinner, we should drink that wine we swiped yesterday."

"I never turn down stolen wine," you answer, following her to the door. "It tastes so much better that way." Her giggle as she locks the door behind you both warms something in you that you hadn't even realized needed thawing. Yes, tonight is about Delphine and Cosima.


	3. Chapter 3

**Side note: I am a nerd so I spent about twenty minutes seeing if I could figure out the name the restaurant that they go to, but ultimately I realized that was too much for even me, so I picked one of the higher end restaurants and went with their name. I know nothing about it except that it's French and pricey. Onward.**

As you settle into your seats up on the second floor of the open room, she asks the planned for question. "So what happened with the boyfriend?" After all, it is how you got her attention. You begin to rattle off the pre-written story, but are startled when she interjects with an American idiom you don't recognize. You clarify its meaning, then agree with her. You realize that you have not been acting the part of the grieving ex-girlfriend, and quickly modify the tale, taking the blame for the fictional relationship's end. You try to tell yourself it isn't because you want her to know you're fine with being single. But somehow, that seems important. Her laugh when you call yourself 'the cold turkey asshole' sends a thrill right through you, enough that you bite your lip to keep yourself grounded.

"Dr. Leekie, so nice to see you," you suddenly hear. The thrill in your spine stills and shatters almost audibly to your ears. Glancing down, you know immediately that he has seen your opened report and inserted himself into your evening of his own accord. Your heart sinks. Forcing a smile to your face, you ask if you should invite him up, knowing that if 324B21 (must be this, not Cosima, Cosima is **your** person to spend time with - oh _merde_!) does not agree, he will simply show up and sit down with you unprompted.

She shrugs her shoulders, giving you a look and pointing out your newly single status. You jump to reassure her that no, he is far too old for you to **want** to spend time with him like that. Her answer that his mind is sexy causes you to reflect, knowing that was the reason you'd pursued his attention when you decided you wanted to work with clones. Not knowing if your new friend(?) truly thought you should go for him, or just wanted to flirt herself (a quick mental review confirms that your subject is single as of her arrival, but something about that break up sticks out to you, but you can't quite recall), you take it as an indicator to head down the stairs.

"Dr. Cormier," your boss says softly. "I thought I'd help you get through your dinner with 324B21 a little more efficiently. Then, perhaps..."

You blush hotly, dreading returning to his hotel room. "I have already agreed to have wine at the subject's apartment following our meal," you answer. "She offered and I did not think declining would be a wise choice."

"Quite right, quite right." His eyes shine. "If she gets drunk enough, you can look through her apartment to see what she has been working on. Good thinking Doctor." And now your excitement for that time alone is diminished, but you lead him up the stairs to your table, feeling his eyes staring at you from behind.

Watching her talk about her thesis keeps you focused. You drink your wine and smile as her hands fly and facts come pouring out. You have to rein in both a gasp and a laugh when she calls out Dr. Leekie on the current patent attempts being made. You begin to say something disarming, lest he become upset, but he finishes your sentence before you can find an appropriate adjective. Cheeky, yes that is a good word for Cosi- for 324B21 (must not be Cosima, must not be a friend)... except then you go and say, "But that's why I like her," and spoil your entire attempt at being objective.

Then he invites you both to apply to Dyad. You play your part, sounding excited and eager, but she pushes back, insisting she is only a 'geek girl from Berkeley.' His statement about the cover of Scientific American startles you, because you can read clearly between the lines, his implication to your subject, as well as the reminder to you that 324B21 is just that, a subject.

Though dinner is filled with more discussion of the institute and the many things that the two of you could work on, still she does not give an answer. While she fetches the coats, Dr. Leekie surreptitiously pays, assuring you that he could get it expensed faster than you could anyway. You hadn't planned to submit an expense report for this. This was supposed to be fun.

She returns, handing you your black peacoat, shrugging back into hers with a grin and a tilt of her head. Bidding a goodbye to your employer, she turns to you. "So, you, me, my place, wine?"

"I thought you'd never ask," you say through a grin of your own. You hook your arm through hers on instinct, and leave the restaurant smiling together.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, last one for the night. Just wanted to make sure I got the full episode in before I slept. Reviews are love, but if you just want to read, that's cool too. Hope this is an acceptable first offering to the OB fandom.**

You laugh most of the way back to her home. Free from being under Dr. Leekie's watchful eye, you once again can look at her as Cosima, your new friend who just happens to also be a subject, but the rest of the night is for you. Your coats are put aside as you enter, relaxing once the door is shut. While she heads to open the bottle of wine, she tells you to make yourself at home, pointing the way to the restroom with a wave of her hand, corkscrew nearly flying loose as she gesticulates.

You wash your hands and walk back out into her bedroom, stepping up to look out her large bay window appreciating the quiet. For some reason, you feel fluttering within your stomach. Perhaps you don't need more wine. You'd had several glasses over dinner. But no, you know you don't want to leave just yet. Making your mind up to try one more time to push the Dyad application before letting yourself just be Delphine and her be Cosima, you walk out as she takes a sip from her newly filled glass.

She pushes back once more at your question, prompting you to ask her why she is being so coy. Her answer shocks you. "Don't you think it's time we admit what this is really about?"

You freeze, sure she is about to confront you as her monitor, terrified of what that could mean. Then she is coming closer and leaning into you and _merde,_ she is kissing you and now you finally remember what that little reminder was in your memory - her last partner was a woman. You feel your hands coming up to her face and you force yourself to pull away, breaking the kiss and obviously confusing her. "I um...I," how can you have forgotten this? Was this why Dr. Leekie assigned you to her? Because he wanted you to seduce your subject? Your mind races, patently ignoring the fluttering that has escalated to full scale flapping within you.

"Oh God, Delphine, did I just make a huge mistake?" No no, you want to say. I don't know, you want to say.

"I have to go," is what you do say. The evening is over, you grab your coat from her stool and glance back once more. "It's fine," you say as you slip out of the door.

The short trip to your own apartment flashes by you. You are walking in your front door, sitting down at the computer and logging in before you come fully back to yourself. _She... she kissed me_ , you think. _And I... almost kissed her back?_ You diligently log your meal with 324B21, citing that your supervisor had conducted the meeting (see expense report), and that your subject ate well, did not imbibe copious or unhealthful amounts of alcohol, and returned home safely. You are about to write what happened at the end of the night, but something stops you. You will tell Dr. Leekie yourself. That will give you a chance to see if this is what he intended all along, and if so, why he would have sent someone in who had zero experience with seducing women.


End file.
